Getting reacquainted

This is a photo from a week ago, as A prepares to say good-bye to Papa for the day.  I forget, when our days are so full, that the stressful times of the quarter are stressful for even the smallest in our family.  She was insistent that he spend some time with her before he left, which he gladly did, and then she followed him down the street and commenced to sob and sob when he was finally gone and I asked her to come in.  She does not give over to tears much, this one, and so it was heartbreaking to watch the large drops roll down her face.  She was inconsolable.  

So she has been waiting and planning for this day, today, the day when Papa did not have to go to school and could spend the entire day with her.  E even talked about making signs to hang up around the house as a reminder today: pencils and paper with a large red X through them, just in case he was tempted to write another paper...And it was a lovely day! We spent hours at the Farmer's Market, eating oatmeal, buying beautiful eggs and spinach and apples and apple butter, running into friends, and listening to a singer and guitar player - and then after some hanging out at home - together! - we headed to The Ridges for a hike before supper.  There, at the "peak", our little hill of a destination, time stopped and we watched clouds move, listened to the woodpeckers, and rediscovered the feel of four.  It was really nice.  

Happy Spring Break, Papa!